Appalachian Trail Lecture

Lecture "The Dreamer, the Doer, and the Creation of the Appalachian Trail” with Author and Appalachian Trail Hiker Jeff Ryan

On Wednesday June 6, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. author and Appalachian Trail hiker Jeff Ryan will give a presentation on “The Dreamer, the Doer, and the Creation of the Appalachian Trail” in the Byrd Auditorium at the National Conservation Training Center, 698 Conservation Way, Shepherdstown, WV 25443. A book-signing will follow the talk.

Jeff Ryan--a Maine-based author, speaker, and photographer--has a contagious passion for exploring the outdoors, particularly on foot. Ryan has hiked thousands of miles including his first “trip of a lifetime”, a 6-month hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. In 1985, Ryan began “section hiking” the Appalachian Trail with a childhood friend, a journey that would take 28 years to complete and culminated in his first book, Appalachian Odyssey: A 28-year Hike on America’s Trail (2010). Intrigued by the question of how the legendary trail came into being, Ryan researched and wrote his second book, Blazing Ahead: Benton MacKaye, Myron Avery and the Rivalry that Built the Appalachian Trail (2017). In 2018, Ryan published his account of climbing Mount Saint Helens in 1987 and 2017 entitled: Blast: My Return to Mount Saint Helens. Ryan spends most of his time researching, writing, speaking, signing books, and exploring the backroads of the USA and Canada in his vintage 1985 VW camper.

The talk is free and open to the public. No tickets or reservations are required. It is part of The Conservation Lecture Series held at the National Conservation Training Center.